Chapter 11 Designing Effective Output

1. Chapter 11Designing Effective Output Systems Analysis and Design Kendall & Kendall Sixth Edition

2. Major Topics • Designing output • Output technologies • Factors in choosing an output technology • Report design • Screen design • Web site design © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

3. Designing Output Output should be designed to: • Serve the intended purpose. • Be meaningful to the user. • Deliver the right quantity of output. • Deliver it to the right place. • Provide output on time. • Choose the right output method. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

4. External and Internal Output • Internal output is used within the corporation. • External output is used outside the organization. • External output differs from internal output in its design and appearance. • A turnaround document is one that is sent out and then returned. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

5. Output Technologies • Output can be in the form of: • Print. • Display screen. • Audio. • CD-ROM or CD-RW. • DVD. • Electronic output. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

6. Output Technologies (Continued) • Output technologies differ in their: • Speed. • Cost. • Portability. • Flexibility. • Storage and retrieval possibilities. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

7. Video Clips Video clips are useful for: • Supplementing static, printed output. • Distance collaboration. • Showing how to perform an action. • Providing brief training episodes. • Shifting the time of an actual event by recording it for later output. • Preserving an important occasion for addition to an organization’s archives. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

8. Animation Animation is composed of four elements: • Elemental symbols. • Spatial orientation. • Transition effects. • Alteration effects. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

9. Electronic Output Electronic output includes: • Fax. • Electronic mail (email). • The World Wide Web. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

10. Push and Pull Technology • Pull technology allows the user to take formatted data from the Web. • Push technology sends solicited or unsolicited information to a customer or client. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

11. Factors in Choosing an Output Technology Factors that must be considered when choosing an output technology are: • Who will use the output? • How many people need the output? • Where is the output needed? • What is the purpose of the output? • What is the speed with which output is needed? © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

12. Factors in Choosing an Output Technology Factors that must be considered when choosing an output technology are (continued): • How frequently will the output be accessed? • How long will the output be stored? • Under what special regulations is the output produced, stored, and distributed? • What are the initial and ongoing costs of maintenance and supplies? • What are the environmental requirements for output technologies? © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

13. Output Bias • Analysts must be aware of sources of output bias and inform users of the possibilities of bias in output. • Bias is introduced in three main ways: • How information is sorted. • Setting of acceptable limits. • Choice of graphics. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

14. Strategies to Avoid Bias Strategies to avoid output bias: • Awareness of the sources of bias. • Design of output that includes users. • Working with users so that they are informed of the output's biases. • Creating output that is flexible and allows users to modify limits and ranges. • Train users to rely on multiple output for conducting "reality tests" on system output. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

15. Report Design Considerations • Constant information does not change when the report is printed. • Variable information changes each time the report is printed. • Paper quality, type, and size should be specified. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

16. Printed Reports • Design reports using software. • Design guidelines for printed reports are: • Include functional attributes, such as headings, page numbers, and control breaks. • Incorporate stylistic and aesthetic attributes, such as extra blank space and grouping data. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

17. Display Screen Design Guidelines for display design are: • Keep the display simple. • Keep the display presentation consistent. • Facilitate user movement among displayed output. • Create an attractive display. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

18. Graphical Output • Primary considerations for designing graphical output: • Output must be accurate, easy to understand and use. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

19. Graphical Output (Continued) • The analyst must determine: • The purpose of the graph. • The kind of data to be displayed. • The audience. • The effects on the audience of different kinds of graphical output. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

20. Web Site Design • Design principles must be used when designing Web sites. • These include: • Using professional tools. • Studying other sites. • Using Web resources. • Examining the sites of professional Web site designers. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

21. Web Site Design (Continued) • Further principles: • Using tools that you are familiar with. • Consulting books. • Examining of poorly designed pages. • Creating Web templates. Style sheets allow you to format all Web pages in a site consistently. • Using plug-ins, audio, and video sparingly. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

22. Plan Ahead Pay attention to: • Structure. • Content. • Text. • Graphics. • Presentations style. • Navigation. • Promotion. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

23. Web Graphics Guidelines for using graphics when designing Web sites are: • Use either JPEG or GIF formats. • Keep the background simple and readable. • Create a few professional-looking graphics for use on your page. • Reuse bullet or navigational buttons. • Examine your Web site on a variety of monitors and graphics resolutions. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

24. Presentation Style Guidelines for entry displays for Web sites: • Provide an entry screen or home page. • Keep the number of graphics to a reasonable minimum. • Use large and colorful fonts for headings. • Use interesting images and buttons for links. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

25. Presentation Style Guidelines for entry displays for Web sites (continued) • Use tables to enhance the layout. • Use the same graphics image on several Web pages. • Avoid overusing animation, sound, and other “busy” elements. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

26. Navigation Navigation guidelines: • Use the three-clicks rule. • Promote the Web site. • Encourage your viewers to bookmark your site. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

27. Output Production and XML • An XML document may be transformed into different media types. • There are two methods: • Using cascading style sheets (CSS). • Using Extensible Style Language Transformations (XSLT). © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

28. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) • CSS allows you to specify the font family, color, size, and so on. • Styles may be set up for different media, such as display, print, or handheld devices. • Styles do not allow you to select or sort XML elements. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

29. Extensible Style Language Transformations (XSLT) XSLT allows you to: • Select XML elements. • Sort. • Select data to be output. © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall

30. Extensible Style Language Transformations (XSLT) © 2005 Pearson Prentice Hall